World upheavals today among nations impel the conclusion that extreme nationalism must be abandoned before the world can experience peace. It is becoming more and more apparent that in the narrowest sense nationalism is synonymous with selfishness, pride, and hate. But, it is often asked, is all national sense completely wrong? Is there nothing good in it? Is not national pride in a heritage of good human qualities a good thing?
The thinking of the Christian Scientist must look beneath the human surface of thought to discern the basic spiritual truth with which to help and heal a troubled world. National sense is necessarily based upon a multiple sense of existence, a belief in a mass of many minds characterized by certain traits, both good and bad. Viewed in this light, national sense might be said to be a collective phase of personal sense. Personal sense is the sense that we are mortal persons with private personal minds residing in and dependent on private personal bodies. Such a sense of existence is clearly shown to be erroneous by the revelation of Christian Science that there is one Mind, God, and that man, made in His likeness, is idea—not a private mind.
Mary Baker Eddy exposes personal sense in no uncertain terms in her allegory of a trial at the conclusion of the chapter entitled "Christian Science Practice" in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (pp. 430-442). Studying this trial, we discover that it is evidently an unconsciously accepted personal sense of goodness that has caused all the trouble. The defendant, Mortal Man, has taken care of a sick friend and in the Court of Error is sentenced to be tortured until he is dead.
